Southwest Neighborhoods, Inc. Board Meeting
Wednesday, January 23, 2008 -7 pm
President Glenn Bridger called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.
Present: Kathy Bambeck, Glenn Bridger, Kirky Doblie, Nancy Hand, Marcia Leslie, Marianne Fitzgerald, Tye Steinbach, Ken Love, Anne-Marie Fischer, Will Fuller, Jill Gaddis, Susan Egnor, Jim Thayer, Don Baack, John Gibbon; Dorothy Gage, Jim Gardner; Wes McMullen, Jan Weston, Don Baack, David Gens
Staff: Sylvia Bogert
Guests: Lee Perlman, Southwest Portland Post
Board approved the agenda and minutes of the December 19th, 2007 Board meeting.
1. Glenn Bridger gave the President’s Report. Board representatives met with Sam Adams and staff on Board’s concerns about Safe Sound and Green Streets Program. Staff showed Southwest’s relative portion of projects essentially unchanged. After notice to Board, in light of need to keep the project moving forward to meet potential ballot challenge, he tabled Board’s letter on delay.
2. First Vice President Ken Love. Board retreat is February 23 from 9 to 1:30 at Umpqua Bank in South Waterfront. Presenters will be Metro Councilor Robert Liberty and Gil Kelly or one of his colleagues on the City’s side.
3. Treasurer’s Report: Sylvia Bogert for Tom Schaper. Bureau of Environmental Services delays in sending checks for completed contracts accounts for dip. All last year’s small grant money was used. Signed agreements for new grants are coming in. Donations are down.
4. Executive Director’s Report. Sylvia Bogert. Public Involvement Contracts are going well. SWNI has child care vouchers, bus fare to help people get to neighborhood events or meetings, for translators and for translation of brochures. SWNI will have a language line to get translations, for people calling SWNI for help.
Standing Committee Reports
a. Parks & Community Centers Committee – Kirky Doblie. SWCC teen programs are going city wide. Sixty-day comment period for System Development Charges for parks ends February 29. Terri Davis told committee about 2008 goals. There will be a meeting the first week in February about the summer concerts. Parks Bureau is developing a web-based reporting system to let park users report on and track resolution of park problems.
b. SW Trails – Don Baack reported on the 4T Loop trial. The city will fund cross walk at SW Naito and Whitaker. .The bike boulevards project is moving forward but remains complex with concerns for effective citizen involvement in project selection.
Board adopted Trails Committee Motion: that SWNI write Sam Adams and Randy Leonard requesting joint SW and City of Portland comprehensive effort to establish a clear process and standards for removing roadside and trailside vegetation within the right of way where it is causing danger or inconvenience for pedestrians, including children walking to school, bikers, and autos.
Board adopted Trails Committee Motion: that SWNI write a letter to ODOT and Sam Adams and Dan Saltzman requesting a meeting with ODOT and PDOT staff and Parks staff to discuss the Iowa Structure changes during the planning stage so we can understand what is being considered and provide input, including our interest in keeping the pedestrian trail open during weekends and evenings as well as other community interests and that we begin talks with ODOT regarding mitigation for the expected two-year closure of a pedestrian trail that will be caused by the rebuilding of the Iowa freeway bridge in South Portland near Corbett.
c. Land Use Committee – John Gibbon. The Portland Plan review is important and complex. Concern is that many Neighborhood Associations which are not represented on the Committee do not have adequate time to respond to short time issues, whether for construction projects or long range planning. SWHRL, which gets a lot of construction project applications to review, has helpfully shared its expertise with committee. The Committee has been working with Ruthann Bedenkop to find a way to help neighborhoods that don’t have high land use expertise. Big Issues coming up include OHSU’s major revisions to one building but still hasn’t met conditions of previous permits. Some of the Lewis and Clark conditional use permits are coming up. Nancy Hand reported success by getting staff person to hold record open to allow time for NA to respond.
d. Crime Prevention/Public Safety Committee – Nancy Hand Encourages attendance at Police Bureau redistricting meeting on the 19th. New ONI crime prevention person will attend the regular meeting as will a person speaking on complex identity fraud.
e. Transportation Committee – Marianne Fitzgerald Her letter on Safe Sound and Green Streets: noted citizens had volunteered many hours, yet promised projects had not been funded; there needs to be accountability and community involvement. She reported that Southwest Neighborhoods are getting 45% of the money for arterials without sidewalks. She reported on the progress of the Halo LID process.
Jim Gardner reported on SW Broadway situation where sidewalk promised for Terwilliger Plaza expansion. There will be a sidewalk by Terwilliger Plaza but not on the rest of SW Broadway. Jim Thayer said SWHRL hopes to work with Vic Savaro to get something. He called for a system to address broken promises.
Glenn Bridger reported City has asked Southwest Neighborhoods preference between two fundable projects: Some cross walks on Barber or closing the gap in the bicycle
and pedestrian networks on Vermont Street/Capitol Highway between 30th & 36th Avenues
f. Schools Committee Will Fuller. Jeff Miller, teachers’ union president; spoke at Committee meeting. Committee is scrupulously neutral.
Operation Committee Report: Communications Committee – Wes McMullen: Committee is sending NA leaders letter surveying needs and developing tool box items. Web server committee is getting new software. Newspaper articles will highlight communications issues. Regular meeting is third Monday of every month.
New Business: On the Executive Committee’s motion, the Board established an ad hoc committee to review SWNI bylaws. Susan Egnor will chair. Glenn Bridger, Leonard Gard and Patty Lee as members.
Announcements/Suggestions for the good of the organization
1. Sellwood Bridge Update Dorothy Gage reported that the Professionals committee approved of the majority of the Community Advisory Committee recommendations.
2. Nancy hand reported that defibrillators will not be put in new schools, despite the demonstrated public health benefit. The public safety committee will sponsor CPR training.
Adjournment 9:04 pm
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Egnor
Secretary